Globales Isabel

We had a wonderful week in Cala Bona and were extremely happy with our stay overall. I feel I have to start with a negative to help anyone with a child with allergies, especially if they are severe. My son has a milk and egg allergy and although the chef came out every night to talk us through what he could have there were a couple of things that made me uncomfortable. For example, being told he could have the pasta and the next night being told it contains egg (he had a bad tummy after). Secondly being told he could have the breaded fish shapes and then the chef running out just as he was about to start eating to say he couldn't. Some dishes have allergens displayed on them, which makes it seem safe for allergies, but unfortunately these were extremely inaccurate. I would be worried to stay here if someone had a severe allergy. The positives: - Mostly friendly and attentive staff who were incredible with our 1 year old son. Special mention for the lifeguard who was so lovely and went above and beyond to help us, particularly when our son was getting a bit fussy. - Good range of food for everyone including two meat/fish options being grilled fresh each night. There were also other dishes available which were replenished quickly. Great salad bar, different soup available each night with crusty bread and lots of side dishes available too. Dessert selection was good, my son loved the jelly every night. Beakfast was great - lots of fruit, yoghurts, cereals, pastries, bread, full cooked breakfast, churros, pancakes and more. - Athough the restaurant was often busy, we never struggled to get a seat or a high chair for my son. The staff in the restaurant were so lovely to him too. - The entertainment team were amazing and our son loved the mini disco every night. - The pool was perfect as there was a dedicated shallow section perfect for babies and toddlers. - All inclusive drinks were pretty good. Spiritis, beer and cava were decent. Cocktails as expected for the price were only ok, we did enjoy the vodka sun though! - 10 minute walk to Cala Bona which has a range of shops, bars and restaurants. - Daily shuttle to beach as well as a sightseeing train which stops outside the hotel. Points to improve: - Allergies mentioned above - Umbrellas fixed in place so couldn't control shade over sunbeds and no way to shade toddler pool. - A few staff members seemed a bit tired and fed up, but their shifts seemed to be very long! We had one negative interaction with a staff member, but were told the manager had spoken to her. - Snack bar was only ok

We stayed for 10 nights as a family of three with our 4-month-old baby. We had a nice holiday because we were with family, but unfortunately the hotel itself was a big disappointment. We wouldn’t return or recommend it, especially for families with infants. The positives: * Large, clean, spacious rooms. * Good air con. * Plenty of sunbeds. * Wristband room key was handy. * Fridge and safe included. * Free shuttle to the beach (although we didn’t use it). * Supermarket nearby in the hotel opposite. The negatives: The food was by far the biggest issue. It was bland, repetitive and lacked variety. In 10 days there was nothing remotely spicy or flavourful. The lasagne, for example, was disgusting. Two sheets of pasta with a thin layer of what looked like pâté rather than beef. The burger meat also looked questionable. Food is reused between meals; one evening the potatoes had breakfast sausages mixed through them. We also saw a flies crawling all over the cold buffet. Breakfast was disappointing too, with a very poor cereal selection. None of them recognisable. The churros and pancakes were good though. The restaurant is small and cramped. With a baby, we did our best to keep the pushchair out of the way, but we were told by staff 3 or 4 times that we were in the way, yet there were no better options. Not very welcoming. Other than 1 or 2 staff members, none even said hello to us during the whole stay, including the entertainment lady. The pool area is too small, with sunbeds packed tightly together. There’s loads of sunbeds (too many) but there aren’t enough parasols and they are fixed in place, meaning you can’t create shade where needed. The only parasol with space around it was next to the smoking area, which wasn’t ideal with a baby. There is also no shade over any of the pool. The snack bar was poor, with uncovered food attracting flies and lots of wasps in and out of the drink dispenser. The entertainment was also disappointing. Nothing worth sticking around for so we went into Cala Bona each evening. The room itself was good, but the balcony overlooked the main road, the bed was very hard, and several sunbeds collapsed when people sat on them. The bathroom was dated, with an old shower curtain, and on a couple of occasions the clean bath towels had what looked like skid marks on them. The wristband payment system was frustrating. My mother-in-law ordered drinks which were poured, but when she tried to pay the transaction failed despite having enough credit. The drinks were then poured away and she had to get a new wristband, which continued to have issues afterwards. A very wasteful and poorly managed system. The location is also worth mentioning. It’s around a 15-minute walk into Cala Bona, which is absolutely fine for adults and a nice walk in the evening. However, in the daytime heat it was too much with a young baby, so we felt quite limited. Overall, we made good memories and enjoyed our family holiday, but that was despite the hotel rather than because of it. The poor food, lack of friendliness, cramped facilities and issues with cleanliness mean we wouldn’t come back or recommend it, especially to families travelling with babies.

Room • ​Spacious and clean. • The bathroom is dated and not a fan of shower curtains! ​Pool Area • ​Always a sunbed available but extremely cramped and overcrowded with too many sunbeds out. • Fixed parasols, leaving no shade over the children's pool. ​Dining & Food • ​Bland, repetitive food (with evidence of reused leftovers) served in a restaurant that is far too small for the number of guests. • Snack bar outside was disgusting. Covered in flies and wasps all day and night. ​Service & Entertainment • ​Rude and unwelcoming staff especially in the restaurant. Told off 4 evenings for having the pushchair at the table but our baby is too small for a highchair. • ​Disengaged entertainment team and poor evening shows. We went out every night. ​Location • ​Hotel is a little isolated. A 20 minute walk to reach the nearest bars, restaurants, and beach. ​Overall this hotel is more like a 2 star. Significant improvements are needed across the board. Do not overpay to stay here!

We’ve “done” all inclusive across the Spanish mainland and the Balearic Islands over the years. For us this is the best we have done. Yes it’s not 5 star with a multiple restaurants and swim up cocktail bars but as a family break this has been great. Rooms are spacious with a fridge ( we did two to a room so four in one might be more challenging) and got cleaned well everyday. Now the bit everyone wants to know, the food! The food is good, yes it’s very Spanish buffet but what do you expect? We had no trouble between four of us finding meals we enjoyed. Yes they have plain pasta and chips for those less adventurous but if you read this review and then moan about the food maybe a week eating Greggs in Skegness would be a better holiday for you. There is no morning cavalry charge for sunbeds. There is no queue of odd balls waiting at 6am to bag a prime spot by the pool. If you arrive at the pool at 10am there are spare sunbeds EVERYDAY! The main bar opens from 10am everyday. Everyone is served quickly and there is no cattle queue system to get a drink. Reusable plastic drinks cups are given for pool drinks so no crappy paper cups. (Gentlemen, the beer on tap is Mahou Classic). All the bar staff are bright and friendly at all times. The hotel is at the back of Cala Bona away from almost everything else but the harbour is a 10 minute walk but the hotel is peaceful and relaxing and doesn’t need to be the busier areas. I’m just hoping it doesn’t change anything before we come back next year.

Cannot believe the hotel is only 3 star. Initially dismissed it when booking but so glad we did. Cleaner than some 5 star hotels. Rooms lovely and spacious and guest areas spotless. Pool area was great and plenty of loungers. We were all inclusive, food was very good, plenty of choice and hot food was kept warm and replenished. Snack bar was great and good that you could help yourself to soft drinks as well as tea and coffee . Staff were so friendly. Location is perfect . Will be returning !